Apparatus for the manufacture of gas.



no. 678,437. Patented Jul-y l6, mm. H. C; HEW.

' APPARATUS FOR THE IANUFACTUBE 0F GAS.

(y umio glad rum 0, 1805.

(lo llodel.)

Writ-m 6,5 56)? ,fnren 5 7"- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY C. REW, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUSFOR THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 678,437, dated July 16, 1901-. Application filed (lulled, 1895. SBI'IELINO. 551,908. (NomodeL) T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY O. REW, a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for the Manufacture of Gas; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to the manufacture of gas.

The object of this improvement is to provide an apparatus requiring but small space and in which hard coal or coke may be utili zed in lgcalities where hard coal is the cheapest and'most desirable.

A indicates the generator,in which hard coal may be raised to incandescence.

a indicates a chamber above the generator and in open communication therewith filled with'loosely-piled fire-brick to be used for the superheating of steam.

E indicates a super-heater or heat-storing chamber filled with loosely-piled fire-brick.

e is a combustion-chamber at the top of said fire-brick, and 'e a chamber also filled with loosely-piled fire-brick, which is utilized for the vaporizing of oil.

The upper part of generator A connects with the upper part of superheater E by flue L, controlled by valve Z. The base of the generator A also connects with the upper part of superheater E by fiue O, controlled by valve 0.

Steam-inlets G and 9 enter, respectively, the base and top of the generator A, as indicated.

An air-inlet from blower B enters the base of the generator at D, controlled by valve 61.

Air-inlets F, controlled by valves f and f, enter the generator above the fuel and in the top of the superheater, as indicated.

Oil-inlet M enters the top of the vaporizingchamber in superheater E, and an inlet for fueg is provided in the generator, as indicated at The usual outlets for ash and clinker are provided at the base of the generator.

The baseof the superheater E is connected with the gas-cooler H by flue J. A flue connects the cooler with the exhauster I, and an outlet 1' is provided from the exhauster to carry 01f the final burned products of combustion generated while admitting air and heating up and also the gas generated while admitting steam and making gas.

The operation of the apparatus is preferably as follows: The generator A is charged with hard coal or coke and the charge ignited. Air is supplied from blower B to the base of the fuel, the valve d being open, valve Z in flue L being also open, and valve 0 in flue 0 closed. Air may be supplied through pipef to burn a portion of the primary products of combustion above the fuel in order to more highly heat the loose brickwork in chamber a. Air is also supplied through 'pipe F, controlled byvalve f,to completely burn a portion or all of the primary products in the upper part of the 'superheater E. The final burned products of combustion pass downwardly through the loose brickwork in chamber E, through flue J, through the cooler and condenser H and exhauster I, (which has been put into operation simultaneously with the blower,) andare discharged through outlet 71 into the open air or into a holder, as desired. The blower and exhauster are preferably so controlled as to cause the pressure-gages on the apparatus to stand at 'zero or show a slight vacuum. I This operation raises the fuel to a state of incandescence and heats the brickwork in chambers a and E. The loose brickwork in the oil-vaporizing chamber 6 is also heated by radiation and reflection from the heated brickwork below. The air-blasts are then entirely cut off from the generator and superheater by closing valves d, f, and f. The valve Z is then closed and the valve 0 at the base of the generator opened. Steam is then admitted to the upper part of chamber a through pipe g and passes downward through the loosely-piled fire-brick, becoming superheated thereby, thence downward through the incandescent fuel in chamber A, producing water-gas, which passes through flue O to the upper part of the heated brickwork in chamber E. Oil to enrich or carburet the gas is then admitted through the pipe M and is vaporized by the heated brickwork in chamber e. The oil-vapors are mingled with the water gas in chamber E and pass down through the heated brickwork, and all are fixed into a homogeneous illuminating-gas, which passes through flue J into condenser H and exhauster I and through outlet t.

A test-burner or other equivalent device (not shown) indicates the character of the products or gas passing out through outlet i, and the water-gas is discharged into a holder by changing the valves, (not shown,) as indicated and described in Patent No. 472,077.

When the apparatus has been cooled down by the superheatin g and decomposition of the steam and by vaporizing the oil and fixing the gas, the steam is shut off. Valve 0 is then closed and valve Z is opened and the apparatus is reheated, as in the beginning, by the admission of the air-supplies, the process being alternate, first of heating up and then of making gas. After heating up, as before,

steam may be admitted through pipe G and' gas made by passing steam upward through the fuel. The steam may be passed upward or downward through the fuel by regulating the valves according to the condition of the heats contained in the fuel. The primary products may be burned entirely in chamber e, if desired, by keeping the valvefclosed and opening valve f while heating up. Better results are reached in this apparatus than in apparatus provided for hard coal or coke which have but a single fuel-chamber and provide no superheating chamber for the steam and which are operated by forcing the products of combustion and gas through the apparatus. Such forcing method discharges a large volume of unburned carbonic oxid into the air while heating up and prevents economical chemical changes while making gas. The combustion of the primary products by the method herein described is complete, and the chemical changes which take place while making gas are much more perfect and economical.

The apparatus herein described may be modified and constructed to use soft coal by interposing an internally-fired coking-chamber between the generator A and superheater E, orthe coking-chamber may be placed at one side of the generator, as shown and claimed in Patent No. 472,077, previously granted.

It will be understood that I do not limit myself to a superheater constructed and operated strictly as described, as the gases may be passed through superheaters which are heated by passing hot gases upward, sidewise, or otherwise through the refractory material contained in them. Also separate condensers and exhausters may be employed through which to pass the final burned products of combustion and the gas, so as not to pass the products and gas through the same condens ers, experience having shown that the tarry matters passed through the condensers with the gas are dried up and burned in the flues by the products generated while heating up and tend to clog up the flues and render their frequent cleaning imperative. This difiiculty is overcome by passing the products and gas through separate condensers and exhausters.

Having described the construction and operation of the apparatus, whatI claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. In combination a generating-chamber, means for forcing air into said generator to produce combustion, means for admitting steam to be decomposed, a superheater situated immediately above the generator and provided with a steam-inlet, a second superheater, a valved flue whereby the tops of the superheaters may communicate, a valved flue whereby the base of the generator and the top of the second superheater may communicate, an air-inlet between the generator and the first superheater, an air-inlet above the second superheater, ,and means for charging air into the second superheater, substantially as described.

2. In combination the generating-chamber A having the blower B and air-inlet D and steam-inlet G, the superheater asituated immediately above the generator, a steam-inlet g for superheater a, the superheating-chamber E, the valved flue O communicating with the base of the generator, the valved flue L communicating with superheater a immediately above the generator and both communicating with the upper part of the superheater E, the air-inlets F, f, the oil-inlet M and exhauster I, substantially as described.

3. In combination the generating-chamber A having the blower B and air-inlet D and steam-inlets G and g, the superheater a sit= uated immediately above the generator, a

steam-inlet g for superheater a, the super-1 heating-chamber E, the valved flue ,0 communicating with the base of the generator, the valved flue L communicating with superheater a. immediately above the generator and both communicating with the upper part of the superheater E, the air-inlet F, f, the oil-inlet M, the condenser H and exhauster I, whereby the fuel may beraised to incandescence and the primary products of combus tion burned in the superheater and drawn downwardly through the superheater and condenser and exhauster, and discharged, and whereby the steam may be passed either upward or downward through the chamber A and enriched with oil-vapors in a superheating-chamber and then drawn through condenser, and exhauster and discharged, substantially as described.

4. The superheating-chamber E, the generating-chamber A having the blower B, airinlet D, steam-inlets G and g with the superheating-chamber a and air-inlet f, the valved flues O and L, the superheating-chamber being provided with the airinlet F, chamber 6 and oil-vaporizing chamber 6 filled with brickwork, oil-inlet M, and the outlet J for gas and products in combination with condenser H, exhauster I having outlet 'i,whereby fuel may be raised to incandescence with an air-blast, and a portion of the primary prodnets burned to heat the steam-superheating chamber a and unburned products subsequently burned to heat the superheating and oil-vaporizing chambers e and E,and whereby the final burned products may be drawn through the brickwork and condenser and exhauster, and discharged, and whereby also steam may be decomposed by being passed either upwardly or downwardly through the incandescent fuel and the resulting watergas enriched with oil-vapors and drawn through the heated brickwork, condenser and exhauster, and discharged, substantially as HENRY C. REW' Witnesses:

HENRY E. LOWE, CHARLES CRAWFORD. 

